Reliability and security analysis of the southern Africa power pool regional grid

Abstract

Over the last decade, Southern Africa has experienced power outages. This is due to insufficient electrical power supply systems, as well as load development in areas that were not sufficiently planned for. The Southern African countries can have a reliable, sustainable, and efficient electrical power grid with the use of power interconnections to exchange power. The primary difficulty with the present grid is to generate electricity using the old electrical infrastructure while also serving loads inside national borders. Most Southern Africa interconnections were implemented in 1995, after the formation of the Southern African Power Pool (SAPP). It was discovered that when electricity interconnection grows larger, the network system becomes more complex. Additionally, power connectors may encounter issues with frequency and voltage control. Numerous Southern African countries are unable to fulfill peak demand within their borders due to population n growth and aging infrastructure, resulting in electrical shortages. This article discusses the results on how to improve grid reliability by controlling voltages with a static var compensator. The remainder of the study discusses an efficient technique for optimizing the current SAPP power network through the use of High Voltage Direct Current Line Commutated Converter (HVDC-LCC) links and as a component of the Flexible AC Transmission System (FACTS)